I’m not going to criticise the Ivory Coast international for feeling that way. After all, I’m a middle-aged, middle-class white man who has never walked a mile in a black person’s shoes.

But I can assure Yaya – and everyone else – that when I judge a footballer, I consider his technical, tactical, physical and mental attributes, not the colour of his skin.

And I don’t think Yaya Toure is in the same class as Messi, Ronaldo and Suarez.

But he should be.

Toure has had a fantastic season for City. In fact, he has become the club’s biggest big-game player over the last four seasons, scoring cup-final goals and­ producing top performances when it matters most.

It was his 20th Premier League goal of the season, which shows an incredible level of consistency for a player, who, most believed, would be used as a defensive shield when he arrived from Barcelona.

But there have also been times when he’s looked like a player who is going through the motions.

He has disappeared in games when City have needed some defensive discipline and sheer hard work. And there have also been times when he has got bored because it is all too easy for him and so he switches off.

The top two or three players in the world don’t do that.

True, Ronaldo and Messi don’t have to concern ­themselves with doing the dirty work of defending because there are others at Real Madrid and Barcelona who are asked to do the task.

(Image: Getty)

But, if either of them scores a hat-trick, they don’t stop there. They want more goals.It’s that sheer thirst for more that puts them above the rest .

Suarez hasn’t just scored 30-plus goals for Liverpool this season. He is also their first line of defence.

Even when he’s having a bad game, his work-rate never falters.The very best – and I’m talking about the top three – never become passengers.

Believe me, Toure gets plenty of recognition from people inside the game. Managers covet him, opposition players both fear and admire him, and I am sure his team-mates treasure him.

And rightly so. He is an elite performer, one of THE stars of a star-studded Premier League.

And when he celebrates his 31st birthday on Tuesday, he will most likely have another medal to add to his glittering collection. But, if Yaya wants the ­recognition he feels he deserves, he has to strive to reach his full potential.